1. Field
The present invention relates to a portable device. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for enhancing durability and reliance by improving input/output port configuration and structure of the portable device.
2. Background
Generally, a portable device means a device manufactured to facilitate portability of the portable device. And, the portable device may mean device capable of performing multiple functions including a phone, a computer, a camera, a PMP, an MP3 player and the like. Moreover, such a device as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a table PC, a smart pad and the like can be called a portable device as well.
A portable device has an input/output (hereinafter abbreviated I/O) port to be connected to an external device. In particular, the portable device has the I/O port for data connection or power supply. Recently, USB (universal serial bus) I/O port is widely used as the I/O port.
The USB I/O port is advantageous in performing power connection and data transmission/reception via one I/O port. Therefore, most of portable devices tend to be basically equipped with the USB I/O ports.
Although a standard USB port is provided as a USB I/O port, a micro-type USB port or a mini-type USB port, which has a relatively slim size, becomes popular to cope with a recent trend in slimming a portable device. Hence, a standard USB plug can be connected to a micro-type USB port using a gender as a medium.
An I/O port may consist of a frame installed inside a portable device to form a space for inserting a plug therein externally and a lead terminal provided within the frame. In this case, the lead terminal may be provided to a mold part. In this case, as a contact point with the plug in the lead terminal and a contact point with a PCB in the portable device are formed, the power connection or the data connection can be enabled.
FIG. 1 shows a structure that an I/O port is fixed in a portable device according to a related art. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show one example of an I/O port according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, such a portable device as a mobile phone and a smart phone consists of a housing 1 configuring an exterior of the portable device, a PCB 2 provided within the housing 1, and an I/O port 10 fixed to the PCB 2.
Meanwhile, a plug (not shown in the drawing) is frequently put into or pulled out of the I/O port 10. In doing so, a force can be applied to a top direction (e.g., z-direction) or a bottom direction as well as an inserted direction (e.g., x-direction) of the plug. Likewise, a force may be applied in a lateral direction (e.g., y-direction) of the I/O port 10.
As mentioned in the foregoing description, since the lead terminal forms the contact point with the PCB, it is preferable that the I/O port 10 is solidly fixed in the z-direction. Therefore, referring to FIG. 1, an I/O port bracket 3 is used to cover a top side of the I/O port 10. In particular, the bracket 3 and the PCB 2 are coupled together to fix the I/O port 10 thereto. So to speak, the bracket 3 is used to reinforce the coupling force between the PCB 2 and the I/O port 10.
The bracket 3 and the PCB 2 can be coupled together via a coupling hole and a screw 4 or the bracket 3 and the housing 1 can be coupled together. Thus, the bracket 3 plays a role in solidly locking the I/O port 10 to the PCB 2 or the housing 1.
The above-described bracket may cause the following problems.
First of all, the number of function loaded in such a portable device as a smart phone keeps increasing. For instance, a phone function, a data communication function, a DMB function, a GPS function and the like are added to the portable device and various kinds of modules for the added functions are loaded in the portable device. Moreover, communication modules differ from each other in communication systems. Due to these reasons, if a device supports a plurality of communication systems, a plurality of communication modules should be correspondingly loaded in the device.
Moreover, each of the modules may include an antenna of its own. Yet, it is difficult to arrange the antennas appropriately due to spatial limitation of the portable device.
Meanwhile, since the bracket is formed of a metal based material, it may generate signal interference that triggers noise occurrence. This indicates that radio performance may be degraded.
Besides, a separate process for loading the bracket is required and the number of components of the portable device increases. Considering that portable devices are generally manufactured by mass production, such a problem as the increased number of components, complicated shapes of other components due to the increased number of components, additional production process and the like has considerable influence of the production cost increase. Therefore, it may be necessary to avoid the aforementioned bracket configuration.
Yet, the aforementioned bracket configuration 3 and 4 is required for the related art I/O port shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. As mentioned in the foregoing description, this is because a support force against the z-directional force via the I/O port itself is not sufficient. This is attributed to the structural shape features of the related art I/O port. The corresponding explanation is described as follows.
Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an I/O port 10 according to a related art consists of a frame 20 and a mold part 30. A front opening 23 is provided to a front side of the frame 20. And, a plug can be externally inserted via the front opening 23. The mold part 30 is provided within the frame 20 to play a role in connecting a plug and a PCB together. To this end, the mold part 30 includes a lead terminal 31.
Basically, the frame 20 can be formed by bending processing. Both sidewalls 25 are formed by bending with reference to a top base 24 and a bottom base 26 can be formed by bending.
Yet, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a separate bending process is necessary to from fixing terminals 21 and 22. For instance, the front fixing terminal 21 is formed by bending one portion of the bottom base 26. And, the rear fixing terminal 22 is formed by bending one portion of the top base 24. Hence, the separate bending process causes a problem that the number of the steps of the process for manufacturing the frame 20 increases.
Moreover, since the front fixing terminal 21 is formed by bending one portion of the bottom base 26, the bending processing is not facilitated and a length and/or width of the front fixing terminal 21 is limited to a predetermined range. Likewise, since the rear fixing terminal 22 is formed by bending one portion of the top base 25 in rear direction, it may cause a problem that a quantity of material wasted for the rear fixing terminal 22 is considerable. Namely, it causes a problem that a quantity of scraps generated from the parental material increases.
Besides, the rear fixing terminal 22 receives a force in a bending direction with a plug is inserted or withdrawn. As the insertion and withdrawal of the plug are repeated, the rear fixing terminal 22 tends to further bended or to return to a state before the bending. Therefore, a loosened space may be generated from the rear fixing terminal 22, thereby reducing the fixing or coupling power of the frame 10.
Meanwhile, a prescribed force is applied to the mold part 300 when the plug is inserted or withdrawn. Hence, a notch 27 can be provided to the top frame 24 to reinforce the coupling power between the mold part 30 and the frame 10. And, a rib 28 can be provided to prevent the mold part 30 from being separated via a rear opening 29 of the frame 20.
However, the above-described structures fail to provide sufficient coupling power between the mold part 30 and the frame 20. And, since the coupling power between the mold part 30 and the PCB is not sufficient, it may cause such a problem as separation of the mold part 30, damage of a contact point between the mold part 30 and the PCB and the like.
Basically, in order to solve the aforementioned problems, the demand for an advanced I/O port is rising in the necessity of the reinforcement of the coupling power between the PCB and the mold part 30, the reinforcement of the coupling power between the frame 20 and the PCB, a simplified I/O port manufacturing process, a simplified portable device manufacturing process, a decreased number of portable device components, wireless communication function enhancement and the like.